Horse-check.



- PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

NL STALKER. HORSE CHECK. APFLIOATION FILED mm; 15.1906.

a c, nu: munus PITIRS 6a., wAsmNoron, D

NEIL STALKER, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

HORSE-CHECK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 15, 1906.

Patented April '7, 1908.

Serial No. 321,894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEIL STALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Horse-Check, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that part of a harness which is used for the purpose of controlling the head of a horse.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, cheap and humane controlling check of the over-draw type which will give the horse his head when he acts normally, but will automatically tighten on his nose and under his jaw if he attempts to light the bit or take the bit in his teeth and bolt.

The embodiment of the invention which is illustrated has a bit with cheek pieces that are provided with chin strap eyes and with check rein eyes. The ends of the chin strap are looped through the chin strap eyes and are fastened by buckles. The check reins are formed from a continuous piece which runs loosely through the check rein eyes and loosely through running loops which keep the sections inside and outside of the cheek pieces together, whereby the nose piece which is formed by the part of the check reins between the cheeks, is free to adjust itself on the nose of the horse under ordinary strains, and yet under excessive strain tends to draw down and pinch the nose of the horse and at the same time to cause the chin strap to bind the under jaw of the horse.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows a side view of the check; and Fig. 2 shows a front view of the check.

The bit is formed of a single piece of metal bent to shape with a narrow mouth-barl and up-turned widened check pieces 2 at each end of the mouth-bar.

Eyes 3 are formed in the lower parts of the cheek pieces above the plane of the mouthbar and extending through these eyes are the ends of the chin strap 4 which is provided with buckles 5 for the attachment, detachment or adjustment of the chin strap.

In the upper parts of the cheek pieces are eyesZG through wh.ichthe check 1191118 7 run.

The check reins shown are made continuous and the ends are arranged to be buckled to an ordinary check strap. Between the cheek pieces the check reins curve upwardly and are preferably provided with a pad 8 to form the nose piece. Attached to the check reins between the cheek pieces are running loops 9 through which the check reins outside of the cheek pieces loosely pass. also pass through a draw-loop 10.

As the check reins run loosely through the upper eyes in the cheek pieces and the running loops attached to the nose piece, the nose piece is held up and varies its position but slightly under ordinary conditions and allows the horse free movement of his head,

and as the chin strap eyes and the check rein The check reins check works from the saddle and is not attached to the bridle of the harness and the bit has no projecting ends to get under the lips of the horse, nor is there any rigid connection between the nose piece and the crown-piece of the bridle for adjusting and holding the nose piece, which is liable to cause the crown-piece to irritate and cut the ears of the horse as he throws his head.

The invention claimed is A horse check comprising a bit with a mouth piece, and integral cheek-pieces having chin-strap eyes and check-rein loops, a chin strap fastened into the chin-strap eyes, a strap extending loosely through the checkrein loops, so as to form a continuous nosepiece and check-reins, and loops mounted on and fastened to the nose-piece loosely hold- 'ing the cheek reins to the nose-piece, sub- Witnesses:

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, E. M. LowE. 

